EMI drops DRM at a price?

It seems EMI will drop DRM for some of its catalogue starting in May selling nonDRM tracks at a higher price according to this article - only problem is the date it was published......?

Digital Music News, EMI, Apple Announce DRM-Free Digital Sales Plan (1 April 2007) <http://www.digitalmusicnews.com/stories/040107emi> at 2 April 2007

There is a slightly different version of the same announcement on the Apple website suggesting that all EMI tracks will be available without DRM at a higher price, along side the 99 cent protected versions (this one is not dated April Fools Day):

Apple, Apple Unveils Higher Quality DRM-Free Music on the iTunes Store (2 April 2007) <http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2007/04/02itunes.html> at 2 April 2007

If true, this is certainly a move in the right direction however at a constitutional level it brings the legal protection of DRM into disrepute (at least in the United States) given that here it is clearly being used for price discrimination and NOT the protection of intellectual property.

This also goes back on developments last month where EMI indicated it would be prepared to drop DRM in exchange for up front payments from the Digital Music Stores - when this was not forthcoming they reverted to a pro DRM position.

The term 'fools' certainly seems appropriate - I wonder whose idea it was to make the announcement on this day - like the day before or the day after wouldntve worked??

And what of artists; do they get any benefits from this? ie. more money to pay off their advances? or does the dosh just go to EMI?

...funny how no-one ever mentions them...